================== NOTICE: THIS ABSTRACT WAS EXTRACTED FROM APPLICATION AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFED BY AN SRA.WHEN THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE APPLICATION SCANNING PROCESS, THE EXTRACTED TEXT MAY BE INCORRECT OR INCOMPLETE. ================== Candida is the major fungal pathogen of humans, causing infections that range from oral and vaginal candidiasis to life-threatening candidemia and invasive disease. The Candida field focuses on a broad spectrum of subjects that relate to epidemiology, drug resistance, infection, host response, and therapeutics. The Candida and Candidiasis Conference, held every two years, is the premier forum for presentation of cutting-edge advances and the latest perspectives in these diverse areas. Funds are requested to provide partial support for the 10th Conference on Candida and Candidiasis, which will be held from March 22-26, 2010, in Miami, FL. The conference is sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology, which provides both management expertise and financial support. The program is based upon past conferences of the series, which have reliably drawn attendance of over 450 American and International scientists, and have met with enthusiastic support in participant surveys. Our program includes clinical talks of breadth and timeliness, with speakers carefully prescreened for affability and effectiveness. We have also expanded the areas of antifungal resistance and genome sequencing efforts to emphasize recent advances in our understanding of the organism as well as the key area of host-pathogen interaction. The program will include selection of 40 speakers based on submitted abstracts, providing the flexibility to present cutting- edge advances and to enlist emerging as well as established community members as speakers. A set evening concurrent discussion sessions on genetic susceptibility to fungal disease, new technologies, invertebrate model systems and morphogenesis will further encourage productive interaction and discussion. As an added bonus, a meeting on Dimorphic Fungal Pathogens will be held in parallel at the same site and a few of the Candida conference sessions will be shared with that meeting. We are confident that our goals - to present the latest advances in the field, to spotlight achievements of junior scientists, to promote synergistic and interdisciplinary interactions, and to provide a venue for community-wide discussion - will be achieved. Public Health Relevance Statement Candida is the major fungus that causes infectious disease, affecting AIDS patients, cancer chemotherapy patients, premature infants, and many others. The 10th Conference on Candida and Candidiasis will provide a forum for the Candida research community to present the most recent advances and ideas, covering a broad spectrum of subjects from clinical issues to molecular mechanisms, from growth of the fungus to response of the host. The conference will help chart the course of future research and facilitate the urgent necessity to understand, treat, and prevent disease.